


Danse Macabre

by cielsdemon



Series: The Assassins AU [2]
Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-25 17:16:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19750204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cielsdemon/pseuds/cielsdemon
Summary: Please, won't you give the lady a dance?





	Danse Macabre

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello! We're back with another tale in the 'verse of the Assassin AU (very creative name, I know). You all asked for it, and here it is! Better late than never, eh? I'm still working to get back in the writing groove. The beauty of summer is that I finally have **time**. 
> 
> Today we join Grell and Eric on a job and, of course, you-know-who makes an appearance ;) Please enjoy!
> 
> (And if anyone has a better suggestion for what to call this 'verse, lemme hear it. I think I'll create a series for them, in the hope that that pushes me to create more.)

“We’re working tonight.”

“Yes.”

“We’re on the clock.”

“ _Yes_ , Eric.”

“That means you’re _not_ about to spend this entire night stalking Spears.”

“I promise,” Grell simpered, “that I’ll only spend _half_ the evening stalking Will.” Eric looked up at the heavens and sighed. Grell laughed. “Don’t worry, love. I’ll get the job done, too.”

* * *

The ballroom was draped in cheap opulence. Expensive chandeliers hung from the high, domed ceiling; the building itself was old and steeped in rich history, though the family throwing this gala seemed more than willing to ignore that. They had paid for expensive catering and pricey decorations that, to the untrained eye, flaunted their wealth. Instead, they did little more than diminish the elegance.

She and Eric arrived together and immediately separated, appearing as though they didn’t know each other. He was her eyes, scanning the crowd and watching her back while she sized up the mark. For once, Guy was simply in attendance and not the host. She easily spotted him across the room, surrounded by a small crowd, all of them smiling with glasses of champagne in their hands.

_Ah_.

Grell lifted a glass from a passing waiter and took a sip. Best to blend in with the other party goers even if she wasn’t one of them. She bled through the crowd, lingering on the fringes of conversation. She overheard talk of an affair. _Snore_ , she thought. Someone mentioned the death of a wealthy close relative. _Bo_ -ring.

After the bare minimum of time spent socializing around the room, Grell finally reached the circle of guests that surrounded Guy. She fit herself into the group as if she belonged there, smiling along as Guy heavily embellished the tale of his latest business deal.

Did he really think anyone wanted to hear that drivel? Just listening to him infuriated her. What she wouldn’t give to stab him now and be done with it – there was even a knife concealed in her garter. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t get her paid. Her employer wanted the job done neatly. No mess. Their lifestyle wasn’t cheap; Eric had been complaining for weeks now that he needed a new HDMIDK, or something. What sort of partner would she be if she botched the job and left him wanting?

Braying laughter returned her attention to the group. Guy was still blathering on and everyone was laughing at his jokes. Grell downed the remainder of her champagne, and she and several from the group placed their glasses on a passing waiter’s empty tray. While the others looked around for a full tray of drinks, Grell took the opportunity to discreetly check her handbag. To any onlooker, she could’ve simply been taking a moment to look at her phone.

“On your left,” came the buzz of Eric’s voice in her ear.

Without any noticeable hurry, Grell pulled her hand from her bag. A look to her left caught the eye of a nearby waiter with fresh drinks. A coy smile coupled with a playful tilt of her head brought him to heel. She and another young woman helped pass champagne around to everyone in the circle, though she made sure her fingertips were the last to touch Guy’s glass. Newly refreshed, the conversations continued, and she feigned laughter at their dull anecdotes and lied through her teeth about her appreciation of the abysmal decor.

All while Guy drank and drank and drank.

Business complete, Grell quietly excused herself from the group. Eric’s voice was in her ear again, tinged with resignation. “I’ll be waiting in the car. Try not to take too long, yeah?” She barely resisted the urge to smirk. She may not have found much enjoyment in her job tonight, but that didn’t mean the entire evening was a loss.

Tonight, there was another sort of fun to be had.

* * *

It didn’t take long to spot him. Even wearing an expensive tuxedo, he looked like police. Grell approached him like a lioness stalking her prey. When he glanced her way, she appeared docile as a kitten.

“Hello.” She pitched her voice up an octave and slightly quickened its cadence. Will had never heard her speak before, but one couldn’t be too careful. “Might I ask if you have a date this evening?”

His eyes flickered in her direction, but didn’t linger. What a warm brown they were. Grell could just melt into them like syrup over hotcakes. “You might,” he answered shortly. Grell blinked at him, appearing vapidly clueless. His chest moved with an audible sigh. “I’m without one.”

“Oh!” she replied. “A man as handsome as you, unaccompanied? Please, won’t you dance with me?” She could see the indecision warring on his face. Keep an eye on Guy or keep up appearances. There was a delicate line to walk here.

“Alright,” he relented. Appearance it was. Grell knew him to be talented enough to handle both. She just kept from shivering as his hand fit around hers and their bodies moved together.

The unobtrusive music was easy enough to follow. It wasn’t a true waltz, though the steps they followed were similar. Grell curled her hand over Will’s shoulder and held him, tingling all over with the thrill of the chase. It was clear Will’s attention was not on her at all, but that didn’t matter. She had him. He was close enough to touch—to smell. She could feel his breath soft on her forehead as they swayed back and forth.

Shifting her head a fraction to the side allowed her to watch him from the corner of her eye. Those depthless eyes of his scanned the crowd, never lingering on one person for any significant length of time. Either he didn’t know her target or he was very good at pretending he didn’t.

Grell studied his profile. The curve of his lower lip was just barely more full than his upper. He shaved before coming tonight—she could smell the aftershave on his skin. Beneath his jaw, almost out of sight, lay a faint freckle. The thin skin underneath fluttered with his pulse, so close she could almost taste it.

As the song came to an end, Grell brushed her lips delicately over that freckle. _Mine_ , she thought possessively. Will startled faintly and she demurred, lowering heavy lashes. One hand slipped from his, though the other stayed on his shoulder, holding him just close enough for her mouth to rest at his ear.

“Thank you for the dance, darling.” As she spoke, there was the thud of a body falling and a long, shrill scream. The poison had taken effect. _Finally_. Guy was currently seizing, choking on the fluid filling his lungs. Will’s head whipped toward the commotion and he took a half step away from her. “Oh no,” she said with about as much concern as a one would show a stain on an already ruined fabric, “Pity no one will miss the old lout.”

For the first time this evening, Will looked at her. All of her. Suspicion narrowed his gaze – recognition widened it. Understanding washed across his features in a wave she would remember for the rest of her life.

Grell grinned, feral. “Tag, darling,” she purred. “You’re it.” Before Will could so much as open his mouth, she slipped away and faded into the crowd that had begun to swarm the dance floor. She thought she heard a faint shout behind her, but by then she was gone.

Outside, a sleek black car was waiting. She dropped into it, beaming, heart pounding with the combined rush of a con and a kill.

“Was ‘at worth it?” Eric’s voice was gruff. Grell draped herself over the back of his seat and let her hands roam his chest as he began to drive away. Eric begrudgingly allowed it.

“Yes,” she sighed, gazing into the rearview mirror. Will had run outside and was on the phone gesticulating as police darted around him. “It always is.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Remember, kudos and comments keep me well-fed and writing.
> 
> [Blog](http://cielsdemon.tumblr.com)


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